The website provides students with introductory information about using the web and a web browser. For students with minimal familiarity, this web site would provide an excellent grounding in browsing using Internet Explorer and using web-based resources, like search engines. The tutorial covers all of the basic features and many more advanced features in an extensive set of pages. Considerable time should be allowed to cover this material. A thorough explanation of almost all features is provided.
This tutorial is most engaging, if not almost overwhelming for one sitting. We recommend that the material be discussed at intervals and that ample practice time be allowed for the ?hands-on? to assist those who may be struggling, if taught in a lab as part of an Introduction to Computers course.
Type of Material:
Tutorial
Technical Requirements:
Access to the Internet, Internet Explorer 4.0 or 5.0.
Identify Major Learning Goals:
The goal of the website is to provide an introduction to using a web browser and to surfing the web. Students will learn to understand how to get the most/best from using Web-based resources
Target Student Population:
The target population is novice computer users of all ages and backgrounds. Computer terms are explained in a straightforward manner. Procedures are illustrated for comparison
Prerequisite Knowledge or Skills:
The ability to get to this web site is virtually the only prerequisite skill. (Basic familiarity with computers and Internet access.)
Content Quality
Rating:
Strengths:
This website is an impressively thorough walkthrough of web browsing using Internet Explorer that explores all of the commonly used and many lesser used features of the browser. One of its strongest features is that it also introduces many commonly used technical terms along the way in a non-threatening manner. Good graphics that show the learner what images to find on the screen as the module information is used
Concerns:
This is almost too thorough?the user should either come prepared to spend a considerable amount of time if you wish to explore all of its various features and discussions. A better use might be as an online reference site?the menu system is relatively compact and enables efficient navigation. Unfortunately, this functionality is reduced by references to previous files that had been created earlier or to work done earlier.
Potential Effectiveness as a Teaching Tool
Rating:
Strengths:
This is a well-designed site for exploring the features of the Internet Explorer browser and to learn about browsing the web for beginners. The discussion of web-based resources is especially appropriate for novice web users. The vocabulary and language is student friendly and the instructions are clear.
Concerns:
This is very expansive site, requiring considerable time to view in one sitting. It is not recommended that all of this material be attempted at once. One reviewer stated that it took over 3 hours to complete (although he is familiar with browsers and the Web and did go through almost all links and references in the tutorial).
Students should be advised to perform only parts of the tutorial at a time.
Ease of Use for Both Students and Faculty
Rating:
Strengths:
This website has a very pleasant look and feel. The incorporation of screen shots to assist in the users as they reference the materials is well done. The instructions and explanations are straightforward and easy to understand.
Concerns:
There is minimal interactivity on the tutorial pages themselves. Students do hands-on projects using pages at other "sites" created by the author for this purpose. At times the author appears slightly condescending (?This is easy? appears in various forms at several times, which may turn off a student who is having difficulty.) Additionally, if a student skips a section of the tutorial, a file or Web page referenced earlier may not be available (the author has added some help in that a secondary means of getting the file or URL is frequently also available.
Creative Commons:
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